Midterm Exam

Due to the online-only nature of this offering, we will not be holding a traditional in-person midterm. Instead, we will have a take-home, open-book exam. You will be allowed to work together in groups on this. The exam will be submitted via Gradescope.

Midterm exam example answers are now available here: midterm_21wi_solutions.py.

1. The Midterm Problems. If we need to make corrections they will be shown here as well as announced.
2. Write your implementation of the functions in the provided template file: midterm_21wi.py.
3. Submit this file via Gradescope, similar to how you would submit a homework assignment. The midterm closes at 11:00pm on Wed February 3rd. No late submissions will be accepted.

• See the function docstrings and the provided assert statements in the template file for more information about each function. Note: the assert statements provided in the template file are NOT exhaustive. We will be running many more tests than what we have provided. You are encouraged to add more assert statements to test more cases.
• We will NOT be grading your code on style. Of course we recommend good variable names, comments and good style, but we will NOT be grading your code on style.
• You may only use parts of Python that have been covered in the class so far (defined as found on lecture slides or section handouts or discussed in lecture).
• Your implementations only need to handle valid inputs. E.g. if the problem says it accepts a list and an integer as arguments, you do NOT need to handle the case when a user passes in a string and a float instead.
• While you are allowed to discuss these problems in groups of up to 4 persons, each student must submit their own answer in Gradescope.
• There are 5 problems and one final question to answer about collaboration.

Good luck and Have fun!

Midterm Preparation

Our midterm format will be most similar to 160 last quarter. You can look at their exam to get a better sense of how the questions will be formatted.

Consider also going over the optional CodingBat exercises from practice sets 1, 2, and 3 if you didn't do them before.

Midterm Exam Policies

Group Discussion Encouraged, Individual Submission:

You are encouraged to discuss the midterm together in groups (maximum group size is 4). Within your group you can discuss the midterm freely. However, EACH PERSON MUST SUBMIT THEIR OWN SOLUTION to the midterm. The idea is to allow you to benefit from discussion with your peers, but in the end what you submit should be your own answer. On your midterm you will indicate the names and UWnetIDs of the persons you collaborated with. We will be making use of similarity-detection built into Gradescope to detect collaboration outside of your group.

What resources can I use?

The midterm is meant to be open-book, open-notes, free discussion with other members of your group. You can freely consult lecture slides, readings, lecture recordings. Asking questions about the exam in online forums or message boards (other than our Ed Board) and "homework help" sites is strictly prohibited.

How long will it take?

The midterm will be due (slightly more than) two days after it is released. We are providing two full days primarily to accommodate students in different time zones. We will not be timing the midterm within that two day period. You have the entire two days to finish the midterm, even though the midterm is designed to be completed in a couple of hours. We are definitely not expecting you to spend the full two days on the midterm! Think of this as a midterm we would have if we were able to meet in person, just with more flexibility. Hopefully this should ease your stress, not increase it.

Can I use late days?

NO, the midterm will not be accepted late. Plan accordingly! Do not wait until the last minute to submit. Gradescope allows unlimited resubmissions/changing of answers up until the midterm closes.

Can I ask questions about the midterm?

In order to assure that equal help is given to everyone, we will NOT be answering questions about the midterm “in-person” during lecture. If you ask something during office hours, the TAs will ask you to write your question on the Ed Board. We will consolidate all clarifying questions about the midterm on the Ed Board, so consult it first to see if your question has already been asked. As with homeworks, you should NOT post any part of your solution to a problem publicly on the Ed Board. You are still able to make private posts asking for midterm clarifications, but we may not be able to answer them.

Keep in mind that the purpose of the midterm is meant for you to apply the learning you’ve done in this class, and the course staff will only answer clarifying or logistical questions – we will not help you with specific questions, review course concepts with you, or give you hints on the midterm.

We will be monitoring the Ed Board closely during the midterm time, but as all of our staff is currently in the Seattle area, you should only expect responses during approximately 9:30am-11:30pm on Tuesday and Wednesday.

How can I find people to form a midterm group with?

Please use this thread to find people to work with in a midterm group.